


Roots

by Mareel



Series: Always [38]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Gardens & Gardening, Home, M/M, Memories, Post-War, Rannoch (Mass Effect), Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-25 21:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18582685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mareel/pseuds/Mareel
Summary: Homeworld





	Roots

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place nine months after the end of the Reaper War at their new house in Vancouver. It is Kaidan's voice. 
> 
> Posted for Kaidan Week, 2019 for the theme 'Post-war'. An earlier version was posted on Tumblr in November, 2015. 
> 
> It's part of the _Always_ series, but stands on its own.

 

"Hey, John. Hungry? I brought us some takeout. Thought I'd try that new sushi place."

Expecting to find him on the deck, I'm surprised when I poke my head out the door and he's not there. 

"Out here, Kaidan." 

His voice is coming from around the side of the house, where a series of low rock walls hold the soil in place on broad terraces stepping down toward the shore. He's bending over one of them, trailing a hand through the bark mulch. Touching his shoulder lightly, I bend to kiss his neck. 

"What's up? Did you find slugs or something?"

He straightens up quickly, wiping his hand on the leg of his jeans. "Slugs? No. Wait, we have slugs?"

Stifling a laugh at the undertone of alarm in his voice, I shrug a reply. "Probably. They're endemic. Nothing to worry about. Nowhere near the size of a thresher maw... mostly."

His eyes widen, and I kiss him lightly. "I'm kidding. But what were you looking for?"

John looks back down at the ground before gazing around the rest of the property. "I don't know. It's nothing, really."

"It's not nothing. Something bothering you?"

He shakes his head. "No, not at all. I was just thinking about Tali on Rannoch... sifting the soil of her homeworld between her fingers. Seeing the future in it." He meets my eyes, his voice serious. "I kind of wanted to feel the soil here... on _my_ homeworld."

It touches me in places I didn't know could be touched that Shepard would refer to Earth that way – he'd always defined himself as a spacer, tied to no world.

He waves a hand, encompassing the terraces and the whole property. "I want to plant something... a little garden maybe. Or a tree..."

I remember the afternoon we'd spent helping mom with her kitchen garden back at the orchard. I hadn't realized it had made so much of an impression. 

He looks down at his feet, seeming almost embarrassed by the idea. "I've never done anything like that... never dreamed I'd ever want to. But now..."

"I like the idea. It's still hard to find fresh herbs in the markets, since the war. We could grow our own easy enough – could even plant some in containers on the deck this season, and then think about a proper garden in the spring maybe."

He nods. "Containers would work... might be easier to reach. Damn hip. I wish to hell it would let me do more. But some fresh basil would be good, maybe some mint... for tea."

"Don't forget cilantro! I was ransacking the market for that."

"Yeah. Put that on the list. And some chives." He pauses, taking my hand as we move toward the house. "I still think we should plant a tree."

"What kind of tree are you thinking about?"

"I don't know... an apple tree maybe? You tell me, you're the farmer. What would do well here... and live a long time?"

I chuckle, remembering some of our conversations about my 'farming' skills at the orchard. "Apple trees are good. We'd probably need to plant at least two, for pollination... and it would take a few years for them to grow enough to produce fruit."

He smiles and it lights his whole face. Makes me want to kiss him to taste it. "Okay, two or three trees then... sounds good, Kaidan. And as for the rest – we've got time."

It's clear that this means more to him than just growing fruit. And I like the thought of planting something together, watching it grow. I like that a lot. Wrapping my arms around him to draw him close, I kiss him, letting it linger before murmuring a reply.

"We do. All the time in the world."

_____________________________________________________

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is also in honor of Earth Day, something Shepard never knew about until he and Kaidan were living on Earth after the war.


End file.
